US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen on Monday met virtually with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) and raised concerns about “malicious cyber activity” carried out by Chinese state-sponsored actors, the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement.
The department last month reported that an unspecified number of its computers had been compromised by Chinese hackers in what it called a “major incident” following a breach at contractor BeyondTrust, which provides cybersecurity services.
US Congressional aides said no date had been set yet for a requested briefing on the breach, the latest in a serious of cyberattacks against government agencies that the US government has blamed on Chinese state-sponsored actors.
Photo: Reuters
Those attacks have occurred even as the administration of US President Joe Biden has worked to improve communications with China and better manage the competitive relationship, including through establishment of economic and financial working groups.
“Secretary Yellen ... expressed serious concern about malicious cyber activity by PRC [People’s Republic of China] state-sponsored actors and its impact on the bilateral relationship,” the department said, describing the call as candid, in-depth and constructive.
The two officials also discussed economic developments in both countries, and reviewed progress made during meetings of the working groups, the department said.
Yellen reiterated concerns she has raised repeatedly about China’s non-market practices and policies and industrial overcapacity, saying they would continue to adversely affect the US-China bilateral economic relationship unless addressed.
Yellen delivered a similar message when she met He in Beijing in April, warning him to rein in excess industrial capacity before Biden announced steep tariff increases on Chinese-made electric vehicles, batteries, solar products and semiconductors.
She also underscored the “significant consequences” that Chinese companies would face if they provided material support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, the department added.
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